The MTG card Gonti’s Aether Heart has undergone a pretty rapid price spike recently, jumping up by 100%, from $5 to $10, in the past week. This card, released in the 2017 set Aether Revolt, uses the Energy mechanic. With Gonti’s Aether Heart on the field, you generate Energy whenever you play artifacts, and then if you pay eight energy, you get to have another turn.
The reason why this card is spiking is pretty straightforward, we think. It’s because the Fallout Commander decks are just around the corner, and these include the deck ‘Science!’ which features tons of artifacts and Energy.
Along with another Energy MTG card, Aetherworks Marvel, Gonti’s Aether Heart previously spiked when the theme of the Science! Deck was first revealed. It went from $2 to $5, and stuck there.
Now that all the MTG Fallout spoilers have been revealed, and we know Gonti’s Aether Heart is definitely not in this Commander deck, players are rushing out to grab this card, which is an obvious, powerful upgrade and win condition.
When it first emerged in the MTG set Kaladesh, Energy was a rather divisive mechanic. Or rather, a problematic one. It was super popular, but created lots of powerful cards, many of which had to be stuck on the MTG banlist.
Magic: The Gathering’s head designer Mark Rosewater has said in the past that he’s a big fan of this mechanic, but it has large play design issues, which is probably why it’s never appeared in another Standard set.
Thanks to recent spoilers revealed at MagicCon Chicago, we now know that Modern Horizons 3 will also have Commander precon decks (because everything has to be tied into EDH now), and the theme for one of these decks, Creative Energy, is… well, it’s Energy.
That means Gonti’s Aether Heart is quite likely to spike once more, as we near Modern Horizons 3’s release this summer. However, it’s also entirely possible that the card will get reprinted in that deck, which could cause its price to plummet.
For more information about upcoming Magic sets, check out our MTG release schedule guide. And for some really pricey pieces of cardboard, check out the most expensive MTG card of all time.